Unrivalled and growing stronger, the Akkadian Empire is expanding its borders to the frontiers of the known world. But the threat of the Guardians, a humiliating stain on King Sargon's otherwise unblemished war record, remains.

From a hidden tower, east of the Zagros Mountains, a cohort of experienced Guardians embark on a deadly mission west to rescue villagers thought taken as slaves. Kar, the youngest Guardian man, must decide whether his duty is to protect those who remain at the tower or another tribe in peril.

Millennia later, in Cairo 1850 AD, English archaeologist Fred Baker follows an account of the Guardians' journey beyond Nineveh, believing it could reveal an undiscovered city-the ultimate dig site. If he can identify it before his meeting with the Egyptian librarian who loaned him the ancient manuscript, a daring journey in the footsteps of the Guardians awaits.

J.P. Manning's second novel awakens the ancient past in splendid detail, leaving no sword unsheathed in book 2 of the Guardians of the East trilogy.